2nd BRI Forum to kick off today

The second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation to be held Beijing is to kick off from today (April 25) - April 27.

The forum, which is themed as “Belt and Road Cooperation, Shaping a Brighter Shared Future”, will feature 12 different sub-forums on key topics.

Thematic forums and the CEO conference will be held tomorrow (25) while the opening ceremony and a high-level meeting will take place on April 26.

Representatives from over 100 countries, including 40 leaders of foreign governments, are expected to attend the event.

Over 4,000 journalistsMeanwhile, the media center for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which is located at the China National Convention Center, and spans over 2,200 square meters opened up for trial yesterday.

According to Xinhua news agency, over 4,100 journalists, including 1,600 from overseas, have registered to cover the BRF.

BRI, a great opportunitySpeaking to Chinese media earlier this year, Sri Lankan ambassador to China - Sri Lankan Ambassador to China - Karunasena Kodituwakku had emphasized the importance of economic and trade cooperation with China.

Speaking to 'China Daily', the ambassador had also highlighted that Sri Lanka considers the Belt and Road Initiative a great opportunity for its development, and attaches importance to BRI joint projects between China and Sri Lanka, like Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port.

The BRI refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and seeks to revive ancient land and sea trade routes to connect China and participating states via win-win trade exchanges, joint investments and infrastructure projects.

To date, 124 countries and 29 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation agreements with China.